[vertical limit]

Hey guys, what's happenin?

So what is your religion?

I am a Muslim, I will give a short background on Islam.

As a Muslim you have to fast for the holy month, it lasts for 30 days, there are a few exceptions for the people who can't fast, if you are old then you have to feed other people, if you are still young, if your travelling or your ill, then you can break your fast but you have to fast to compensate the days lost, directly after Ramadan, we get a holiday called Eid al-fitr, it marks the end of Ramadan, it is forbidden to fast on that day, it usually lasts for 2 or 3 days.

This is just a short background, right now I am fasting, Ramadan ends in 2 days.

[sivispacem]

I think there have been topics like this before, and from memory they don't tend to end well...

I'm an atheist, or more accurately a secular humanist. Which means that I dispel the ideas that mankind is somehow "good" or "moral", and don't believe that religion should form the principal basis for ethics or ethical decision-making. Instead, concepts of good and bad, morality and immorality, are based on logic and reason- hence why they differ dramatically in different cultures and societies.

[^- Dice ->]

The concept of what's good or bad is passed down from generation to generation and is usually thought by the elderly. I am Christian to some extent, I support the Bibles moral ideas, but dislike going to church or following any rules set by it. If I want to praise my god, I wont go to some materialistic institution and listen to a person citing something which I can read myself. I'm not saying all priests are bad, some do a good job at preaching, using words which can really reach out to you. I do go to church at major holydays though.

And I really hate idiots who dumb down religion by taking it literally. For me It isn't a strict set of rules, written in a 100% historically accurate book, I take is as an idea, a guide for making you a better person.

This post has been edited by ^- Dice -> on Monday, Aug 29 2011, 10:45

[makeshyft]

QUOTE (sivispacem @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 20:33)

secular humanist

Yep. Same as what this guy said.

[mrpain]

QUOTE (vertical limit @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 18:15)

As a Muslim you have to fast for the holy month, it lasts for 30 days, there are a few exceptions for the people who can't fast, if you are old then you have to feed other people, if you are still young, if your travelling or your ill, then you can break your fast but you have to fast to compensate the days lost, directly after Ramadan, we get a holiday called Eid al-fitr, it marks the end of Ramadan, it is forbidden to fast on that day, it usually lasts for 2 or 3 days. This is just a short background, right now I am fasting, Ramadan ends in 2 days.

I'm a Muslim, and it's one more day from where I'm staying.

To be honest, I myself am a very bad Muslim. The only reason I am one is because my whole family is strict on religious views. I don't see why my religion should affect my lifestyle at all. Morality is a bitch I tell ya

[K^2]

I'm a Discordian. It works for me.

[Tyler]

Deism is interesting, but frankly I prefer to just not be affiliated with religion. The idea that there's some magnificent eternal bliss after this life makes our Universe seem less amazing, and that should be a sin.

[Marlowe.]

I am not a spiritual person. I never picked a 'team' or even played the game. Maybe when I'm on Death Row I will possibly consider choosing Christianity, to save my soul from eternal damnation.
Although, you know, that secular humanism sounds pretty all right. Is there a pamphlet somewhere I can read?

[schwebe]

I'm an atheist, I live my life by my own rules. Pretty incredible actually, when I think about how much different institutions (elementary school, kindergarten, television) tried to push christianity down my throat. I'm baptized and confirmated, but this happened when I was young and didn't know any better. Now, 20 years after I was in kindergarten, christianity is pretty much dead here (in schools and kindergarten).

[King Mystery]

I'm agnostic; I'm really unsure on the existence of a god/goddess/gods/goddesses/it. Some days I believe in it, some days I don't.
But I feel we really have no way of proving it. At least, not anytime soon.

[GTAvanja]

QUOTE (sivispacem @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 12:33)

I think there have been topics like this before, and from memory they don't tend to end well... I'm an atheist, or more accurately a secular humanist. Which means that I dispel the ideas that mankind is somehow "good" or "moral", and don't believe that religion should form the principal basis for ethics or ethical decision-making. Instead, concepts of good and bad, morality and immorality, are based on logic and reason- hence why they differ dramatically in different cultures and societies.

Careful there. I might start to like you.

I too am an atheist. Although I don't like that word. It doesn't really say much. It only explains what you aren't, not what you are. I like to call myself a rationalist.

@ vertical limit - please realize that you're wrong. For your own sake.

[finn4life]

QUOTE (sivispacem @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 21:33)

I think there have been topics like this before, and from memory they don't tend to end well... I'm an atheist, or more accurately a secular humanist. Which means that I dispel the ideas that mankind is somehow "good" or "moral", and don't believe that religion should form the principal basis for ethics or ethical decision-making. Instead, concepts of good and bad, morality and immorality, are based on logic and reason- hence why they differ dramatically in different cultures and societies.

Pretty much this ^.
Once upon a time i was Christian, that was how i was brought up, but the older i got the more things didn't seem to add up, and then High School science came along and explained many many things, and that just affirmed my belief that religion is a waste of time for me since i did not believe in those things any longer.

There could be a god, it has not been dis-proven, and i respect anyone who has religious views, just personally like i said, it doesn't make sense for me.

@GTAvanja, vertical is not wrong read the sentence above.

[GTAvanja]

QUOTE (finn4life @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 14:58)

i respect anyone who has religious views, just personally like i said, it doesn't make sense for me.

Well you can respect people, but why should you respect religions? Why should anyone respect a load of bullsh*t designed to manipulate people? And the biggest 3 religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) say in their holly books that non-believers will be punished for all eternity etc. Why should you as a non-believer respect a religion that doesn't respect you? Further more, why should you respect people who believe in that nonsense? They, with their silly beliefs directly disrespect you.

This post has been edited by GTAvanja on Monday, Aug 29 2011, 13:05

[vertical limit]

QUOTE (GTAvanja @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 12:54)

@ vertical limit - please realize that you're wrong. For your own sake.

Care to explain.

[R.F.]

I`m atheist, but arent we all atheist? We're born atheist, its later that we get brainwashed with the bogus religion bs. It really comes down to where you're born. Some areas are extremly religious, other not so much.

[GTAvanja]

QUOTE (vertical limit @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 15:16)

QUOTE (GTAvanja @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 12:54) @ vertical limit - please realize that you're wrong. For your own sake. Care to explain.

Yeah, as soon as you rationally explain to me why you believe in god. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to drink alcohol, eat bacon and f*ck women with my uncircumcised dick.

[El Zilcho]

QUOTE (makeshyft @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 10:51)

QUOTE (sivispacem @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 20:33) secular humanist Yep. Same as what this guy said.

Going to second this as well. I pretty much fit that label.

[jaysteels]

QUOTE (schwebe @ Monday, Aug 29 2011, 11:30)

I'm an atheist, I live my life by my own rules. Pretty incredible actually, when I think about how much different institutions (elementary school, kindergarten, television) tried to push christianity down my throat. I'm baptized and confirmated, but this happened when I was young and didn't know any better. Now, 20 years after I was in kindergarten, christianity is pretty much dead here (in schools and kindergarten).

May I call you stupid? I was just confirmated, and how the hell can you not know this has a religous intent? I'm having science shoved down my throat now! I wish people could just let people believe what they want, noo shoving needed. (of course science is important, but they are not trying to prove science's things, they do everything they can to prevent religions. )

[Robinski]

I, like many others here I imagine, am an atheist. I went to a "Christian" primary school, in the sense that we had to sing hymns in assembly and had parables and sh*t read to us, but actual Christianity was never forced down our throats. My family aren't religious in the slightest, and my mam's an anthropologist so religion is just treated as something that happens in culture. I am definitely not anti-theist like the loud mouths that give atheism a bad name in religious communities. Those people will single handedly attempt to ruin a religious person's day by coming in and telling them just how objectively wrong they are. Dawkins is the worst for this and almost makes me want to find another label for my beliefs just to distance myself from his arrogance. Ironically, anti-theists are some really close minded people.

If anything, I wish I did believe in a higher power. It might be annoying when someone says to you in a hard time that Jesus/God has a plan, but it must be pretty f*cking good to genuinely believe that, because you're a good person, someone is looking out for you and everything will be alright. There's also all the good that religion has done and does in the world. I'm not ignoring all the horrible acts committed in its name but religion as a whole (not just organised religion) is generally a force for good.

[chris]

I'm an Evertonian, all hail thy ginger ruler!